Hello across the board. I'm thinking of purchasing the YAMAHA CM500 headset for my FT-897D rig. Based on the past reports it seems like a decent "affordable" set for my current situation. Being a Ham newbie, Would there be any other hardware necessary ? IE wired plug end, special cable and such ? What would be the preferred method of keying the mike. Some type of foot peddle Pitt switch ? Just not sure of the best way to proceed at this point. Any pointers ? Thanks in advance.

Of course its your money and you can spend it any way you want, but....

My suggestion (and it is worth exactly what it cost you) would be to get something made specifically for amateur radio like the Heil Pro Micro Dual (http://www.heilsound.com/amateur/products/prosetmicrodual/) Its not cheap, at least not compared to the Yamaha headset, but in the long run, it is my opinion that you will get much better results from it.

Similar units will be in your local music store, filed under "Guitar Stomp Box -- SPST". Or you can improvise something from a Staples "That was easy!" button -- pull out the electronics, keep the switch. [That was written-up in QST a while ago.]

Hand switches can be an SPST pushbutton, mounted in a piece of PVC pipe for easy holding and thumb operation. Bob Heil makes one labelled "ergonomic" with a fancier handle.

Using "non-ham" gear, for ham radio, is perfectly acceptable. My headphones are Sennheiser HD280 ("studio monitor" phones), my mic is an Audio Technica cardioid dynamic vocal mic. My compressor/EQ (rarely used) is from Behringer, not W2IHY. They all work fine with a Yaesu FT-450.

FWIW, so far all three or four of the CASIO keyboards I've experienced used the NO pedal.

Easy enough for the ham operator to ascertain with ohmmeter or continuity checker before buying, though.

Another very good choice for a PTT footswitch are the many types used by secretaries that run dictation machines. Those things are Heavy Duty in build, and often one can be found that was used on the older machines that have now been replaced with digital types, which means the pedal itself can be had for very little money indeed. Keep your eyes open.

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